Founded in 1992, FairVote is recognized as a national leader in
electoral reform. We advance five core reforms and others in their spirit:

instant runoff voting for executive offices,

proportional voting for legislative offices,

a constitutional right to vote,

a national popular vote for president,

and universal voter registration.

Our mission is to increase vitality in our democracy, broaden access to democratic processes and ensure fairer representation of
our society’s diversity in elected bodies.

We maintain a comprehensive website with a wide array of public
education materials. We provide legal assistance in voting rights
cases, and hold workshops in communities and at conferences around the
United States. We support state and local reform efforts with research and outreach. We provide analysis and commentary to local, state and national media outlets ranging from your local paper to CNN, NPR, FOX, and The Nation.

Interning at FairVote

Our national office is relatively small - typically four to eight full-time
staff members in our Takoma Park, Maryland office - so internships are highly substantive and ideal for those with interests in research, election law, journalism, political communication, web design, the netroots, grassroots activism and non-profit development.

We offer internships at all points during the year. Applications are rolling. Spring and fall internships may be full- or part-time. Summer
internships are generally full-time and the most competitive. We can work with
interns to meet academic credit requirements and/or obtain external funding.

Complete applications include a (1) current resume, (2) cover letter explaining your interest in the organization and/or programs in which you're interested and (3) relevant writing sample of no more than five pages. NO CALLS PLEASE.

Internship Job Descriptions

Below are a number of internship job descriptions. Note that these are guidelines for internships and
that interns may take on responsibilities for more than one internship
position. FairVote staff members are assigned to each internship program
area, and interns work closely with those staff members. On occasion,
there are opportunities for interns to develop their own project areas
outside those outlined below.

Please specify in your cover letter the internship position(s) that
interest you. All the below internships are based in our national office in
Takoma Park, Maryland (Washington, DC).

IRV AmericaInterns assist the program director in advancement of instant runoff voting for state and local offices, private organizations and college student governments. Interns also assist the program director in (1) preparation for upcoming ballot measures and (2) successful implementation where IRV has passed. IRV is a voting system that corrects the defects in plurality and two-round runoff elections, the two most widely used single-winner systems in America. Internships will focus on elections analysis and media and activist outreach. Interns assume heavy responsibility for outreach to student governments, campus newspapers and national student groups.

Program for Representative GovernmentThis area of our work focuses on proportional voting (PR) systems as solutions to voting rights and
redistricting issues. Interns will work within the civil
rights and voting rights communities, including chapters of the
NAACP, ACLU, MALDEF, LULAC, Asian American and Hispanic organizations
and many others. Interns in this area will also do outreach work similar to that of the IRV America program, including elections research and analysis, as well as comparing elections in the
United States to systems used in other countries, conducting
research on organizations that are using proportional representation
and research election issues like plurality winners in cities, states,
and other areas. Right To Vote Initiative & 100% Registration ProjectIn the spirit of H.J. Res 28, a
proposed constitutional amendment that would add an affirmative right to
vote, FairVote is actively working toward the goal of universal voter registration and other reforms to expand participation. An intern with the Right To Vote Initiative will conduct research, attend coalition meetings and build support for local, state and federal reforms that expand suffrage and modernize the voter registration system. The RTV program addresses reforms such as same-day voter registration,
provisional ballot standardization, improvement to voting
machinery and voter protection issues. The intern will have the opportunity to develop
advocacy materials, draft press releases, help organize state-based
lobbying groups and build support through outreach. As a benefit,
the intern should walk away from this experience with a better
understanding of the legislative process and voter registration policy. Learning DemocracyFairVote's Learning Democracy project is an educational outreach program designed to teach students about their role in the political process. It is a voting curriculum that includes sections about the history of suffrage, the importance of political participation and the mechanics of voting. FairVote is seeking interns and volunteers to teach the program in area high schools. Learning Democracy interns will also help with volunteer outreach, develop new lesson plans, and create web content. An ideal candidate for this position has some teaching/mentoring experience and a background in organizing.Voting and Democracy Research CenterAn intern in this program would work on
researching the competitiveness of elections, various aspects of
presidential races, and demographics and partisanship in redistricting.
See our report on "Monopoly Politics" as an example of some of this
kind of work. Internships in this division are based
substantially on analyzing election results to identify problems, as
well as make projections. Presidential Elections Reform ProgramFairVote’s
Presidential Elections Reform Program supports reforms to provide
voters with more exposure to candidates, to encourage a more inclusive
nomination schedule and, above all, to adhere to the principle of one
person, one vote through the National Popular Vote effort. Interns
will assist in research, outreach, website drafting, and other tasks
relating to presidential elections reform.

Development InternshipInterns in this are work closely with
FairVote's Executive Director and Development Director on a range of program management
and development work. On development, the position concentrates on
fundraising; identifying new sources of funding; new grants; exploring
resources at the DC Foundation Center and identifying potential
individual donors. Interns working in this area have the opportunity to
help develop and assemble project proposals for foundation funding, as
well as help tend to our membership base--great skills to develop for
anyone interested in non-profit work. Communications & Press InternshipIn seeking to spread our message of electoral
reform, Communications interns help forge important
connections to influential individuals and groups across the political
spectrum. Interns will conduct outreach to both major and minor
political parties, "good government" groups, local and state
government officials, election administrators, and more. In addition,
they will compile press contacts, maintain our database, write press
releases, assemble publicity materials, organize press conferences, regularly post on our blog, and
assist with mailings to local and major media. Interns may draft op-eds and letters to the editor. This is a position open
to creative thought and new ideas for FairVote's overall communications
strategy. Interns will learn about all of FairVote's programs in the course of their work.

Technology & E-Organizing AssistantInterns will assist the Communications
Director with technical and creative tasks including website
modifications, flash animation development, graphic
design, development of multimedia visuals and production of printed
publicity materials. Applicants
should possess a solid understanding of Photoshop, MS Access, MySQL,
and web-development languages and tools. Knowledge of Macromedia Flash
and experience with VHS to .mpg conversion a plus. The Website /
E-Organizing
Assistant will develop critical technical skills in addition to gaining
exposure to policy issues, and will learn much about maintaining the communications infrastructure of a nonprofit organization.

Legal InternshipThis internship position is for law students with an
interest in the Voting Rights Act, redistricting, and other areas of
election law. Areas of work include legislative drafting, statutory and
state constitutional analysis of obstacles to reform, tracking and
analyzing the impact of recent decisions on our work, researching
pending voting rights lawsuits, developing our Voting Rights Act,
Section 2 amicus brief, and more relating to voting rights and election
law.